Personal watercraft have become popular for both recreational and utility purposes. Recreational uses include not only running laps or loose circuits within a relatively limited area, e.g., bays, small lakes, etc., but also extended trips for exploration of isolated areas and even inter-island or continent-to-island adventures.
A significant problem which has been encountered by recreational personal watercraft enthusiasts is that their range is limited both by the watercraft's fuel capacity and the possible need for tools, recreational or camping gear, drinking water and food, etc. A solution to this problem was disclosed by one of the present inventors in U.S. Pat. No. 5,119,752 for a "Trailer for Personal Motorcraft" and U.S. Pat. No. Des. 325,020. A water-tight pod is operable to store supplies, food, etc., and the upper surface of the pod has areas for retaining fuel cans and larger gear.
Other trailers for personal watercraft have recently become commercially available. Many of the trailers are simple sealed containers which are dragged behind the watercraft with a tow rope. Historically, virtually all watercraft, large and small, have utilized non-rigid ropes or cables for pulling one craft behind another. When the towed craft is large enough and when the towing craft does not reach relatively high speeds, a tow rope produces the desired result, i.e., that of transferring the forward force of the towing craft to the towed craft. However, both personal watercraft and their trailers are small, and can travel at relatively high speeds, making the trailers more susceptible to waves, chop and wakes of the watercraft or other boats, which can lead to wide lateral deviations, severe bouncing and flipping. While such behavior may be tolerable if all the user's supplies and gear are securely towed within the trailer, anything on the outside of the trailer may be lost or damaged. Further, personal watercraft are capable of sharp turns and precision, high speed maneuvering. The use of a tow rope causes a delayed response in the trailer such that the trailer can jackknife or whiplash, endangering the watercraft's riders. Yet another disadvantage of tow ropes is that the lack of lateral stability permits the front of the trailer to dig into or rise above the water level depending on the water conditions and the watercraft's speed, creating variable drag. This variable drag is not only uncomfortable for the rider, but may be dangerous. The rider may be "bucked" off of the motorcraft, or the trailer might "pearl", digging its bow into the water sufficiently deeply to cause it to flip end-over-end.
The applications of personal watercraft have expanded to utility situations, for construction, maintenance, inspections, etc., where tools are required, and to rescue applications for use by lifeguards and emergency service personnel. While it is important that sufficient capacity be provided for tools and equipment, and that they not be lost due to the trailer tipping or capsizing, it is especially important in a rescue situation that the trailer stay upright when it is carrying an injured, unconscious and/or sick victim. Thus, an alternative to the common tow rope is required to allow personal watercraft trailers to attain their full utility potential.